Team Hart: Steel and Dust
by vindictious
Summary: Set shortly before The Fall, we follow our favorite Faunas Brawler, Renee Delacourt, in a small side-step from the Team H.A.R.T. stories as she discovers the ancient history of Remnant. In a time when all people live in fear, the first Hunters came into being when a Human and a Faunas discover the power of joining Dust and Steel to make a weapon beyond their imagining.
1. Chapter 1

Steel and Dust

Chapter One: In The Beginning

* * *

Before there could be airships on the landing pads of Beacon, someone had to look up at the birds in the sky and wish to fly.

Before a weapon forged by a man could wield the power to slay the Grim, someone had to do more than wish.

To tell the story of a world as it is now, start at the beginning… and then go on to the end.

* * *

Gears moved slowly overhead as the Faunas girl standing before the desk tried not to fidget. She hadn't expected the call and couldn't recall any recent pranks that would merit this kind of attention.

The headmaster finished perusing the screen to one side before turning towards her, one hand lifting the ever present cup to his lips. He studied her over the rim for a moment, noting the slight tension in her face, before lowering it to the desktop once more.

"Miss Delacourt, Professor Port tells me that you are one of his best first year students."

Her eyes widened in disbelief at the news. "Really? I mean...I know I'm doing okay, but one of the best, sir?"

"Indeed. And I understand that you are already doing somewhat more…advanced… research into Dust based weapons than we normally see in a first year student." He lifted the cup in a salute to her before sipping again. Setting it down, he steepled his fingers under his chin, eyes dancing with suppressed mirth. "Something, I might add, that only a few fourth year students seem to be interested in!"

She sagged a little in relief then straightened again. "Yes sir! I want to improve Sunset's capabilities. Don't get me wrong, I love my sword. But I'd like to make her even better. Y'know, I've always thought there was more to the making of our personal weapons than we've been told." Her face looked somewhere between perplexed and unhappy for a moment. "But the papers I've read only go back a hundred years or so, and most of them only deal with the mechanics of putting a weapon together. Lots of different designs, but with the same characteristics as before. There hasn't been much real research in all that time. Atlas does a little, but it's all just on a bigger scale with nothing new. There's something missing…sort of. Like a puzzle where we lost a piece on the floor and forgot about it." She clasped her hands tightly, knowing that this must sound lame to him. "I feel like we keep doing the same thing over and over, and not really getting anywhere."

"So you wish to learn not only the history of 'how', but also 'why'. Is that correct? "

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yessir! I'm hoping there's something, somewhere, that might help me develop a better process. A paper, a monograph, a note…even a doodle would do if it gives me an idea."

Ozpin's lips turned up in a smile. One hand waved towards the screen hovering over the desk. "Very well. I happen to know of a book that may serve your needs. I make no guarantees, but I can make an appointment for you to visit the archives tomorrow. "

"Thank you, sir!" For a moment it looked as though she was going to bounce off the ceiling with joy at his offer. This might be the break she'd been looking for to advance her research!

"Do not thank me, Miss Delacourt," he warned. "The final decision about showing you this particular book rests with our Archivist, Miss Glaukes. If she decides that you are not worth her time, you will never see ' The Beginning'. "

Renee froze, her face screwed up in confusion. "The beginning of what, sir?"

Slim fingers steepled themselves on the desk top, hiding the smile. "Of everything you wish to know. 'The Beginning' is the title of a very special book. I, myself, have never had time to read it. It has been kept at Beacon since our founding, yet it is far older than that. If you want to know exactly how old the work is, you might ask Miss Glaukes. But dealing with her can be… difficult. I will warn you to be very careful and only tell her the literal truth, as she can be very … well let's just say that you should think before speaking. "

After walking the bemused student to the elevator he returned to his desk and took a moment typing the request for her admittance to the Archives. After sending it on its way, he leaned back in the chair and watched the gears move for a few moments while his thoughts wandered into the past.

"Well then. This should prove interesting, eh?" _

* * *

It was the longest elevator ride she'd ever taken, all of it downwards. 'How deep am I?' she asked herself when the doors finally opened. She stepped warily into a dimly lit foyer, wondering which direction to go now. A wide avenue was in front of her, the concealed lights set too dim to make out how far it went. On her left was a narrow hallway, the light again too little to reveal much detail even for Faunas eyes. If this was supposed to be the Archives, then it was an awfully dull place, she decided.

A hand from the shadows gripped her arm like a vise and spun her about. The dark figure rising above her was frightening enough to make her reach for the sword that wasn't there. Two pointed ears above the glowing yellow eyes seemed to hang from the low ceiling. "And who might this be, who dares enter the Archive?" the apparition demanded in a harsh voice.

Renee inhaled sharply as she stepped backward into the room, trembling slightly as the stranger followed her out of the shadows. "Renee Delacourt! Pro…Professor Ozpin sent me! "

What the light revealed was astonishing. A tall faunas woman towered over her, two groups of pointed feathers on her gray head formed what she'd mistaken for ears. The dark cloak that trailed to the floor hid the body, but couldn't conceal the wide shoulders. Renee could have sworn that the older woman could have looked Yatsuhashi in the eye. 'She's an Owl Faunas! But, so big! '

The brawler who'd faced Grim without flinching suddenly felt like a mouse being sized up for dinner.

Yellow eyes narrowed as the woman cocked her head to one side, nostrils flaring. "So! This is what Ozpin sends me? Tell me then, young Faunas, why I should do as he asks, hmm? "

The question hung in the air between them like a challenge.

"Well...he is the Headmaster of Beacon." Renee responded cautiously.

The woman's eyes narrowed more as her lip curled. "Phaugh! As if that matters to me! I too have a title, but who stands above the other here? Who dares to put themselves over Athene Glaukes?" the giant Faunas shouted, her arms rising under the cloak to form dark wings as she stared down at the girl.

Renee stood amazed by the display, finally remembering Ozpin's warning. Ducking her head respectfully, she responded truthfully. "Professor Ozpin, Ma'am. His office is always above yours!"

Glaukes dropped her arms and laughed heartily. "Well done, girl! I see he has not lost his touch in finding me students of wit! "

"I guess not, ma'am." Renee answered warily.

The older woman folded her hands and drew herself upright, looking down at the girl as if she were a specimen on display. "So, Renee Delacourt ...Canis Faunas…originally from Atlas...Freshman year...currently ranked eighth in her class of thirty two...member of team HART...partner of the Human Tan Tyrson…wielder of 'Sunset'...tell me. Why do you seek knowledge of the past? "

Renee gaped for a moment. "How do you know so much about me?"

A hand brushed her question aside. "I'm the Archivist, dear girl. Where do you think the student records go?" The hand completed its circle to end up pointing at her visitor. "Now, answer!" she demanded.

The young Faunas took a deep breath and tried to marshal her thoughts. "Someone once told me that to change the future, you have to know the past. I want to become a better Huntress. I've made my body the best that I can, now I want to do the same with my sword. I can make a new blade or add different Dust crystals, but I think there's more that can be done. I just can't find the right book about how to do it." She looked down at the floor, "I don't even know for sure if it can be done! But I want to try, and to do that I have to understand as much as possible about the whole process, beginning to end. From raw ore, to refined metal and beyond. I need to know everything about how Dust affects the metal, and why." Her eyes rose again, meeting the older woman's gaze. "I want to move us, all the Huntresses and Hunters across Remnant, to the next step. Can you help me… please? "

Glaukes closed her eyes and nodded. "Perhaps. But I can only open the way for you. It is up to you to follow the path...and perhaps gain wisdom from it." She turned abruptly, the dark cloak swirling about her. "Come with me."

The hallway they walked down was barely wide enough for one person, Renee's elbows occasionally brushing against the wall. Her guide's 'ears' touched the low ceiling. A sharp turn ended the passage, leading into a hexagonal room wide enough to stand together with little to spare. The sparse lighting barely reflected off the dull gray metal of the heavy door on the opposite wall. There was a resemblance to something like a bank vault from a movie, she noted. A small horizontal slit in the center was too thin and too low for a peephole, but a long metal bar on one side providing a handle. Judging by the hinges, it must have weighed at least a ton.

Athene paused, her hand moving to one of the two curved sabers mounted next to the door. "My Talons," she explained. "Together we form the final defense if all else should fail." Her hand slid down the sharpened metal until it crossed with the other blade.

Renee turned and looked again at the narrow hallway. Only one person at a time would ever be able to enter this room, the turn at the end would not allow any kind of speed to be built up for a rush. One person could hold this place against an army. "Defense against what?"

Gray feathers whispered as the woman shook her head. "Too many know of the existence of the Archives. Some of those would seek to take or destroy the knowledge that lies beyond this door." Her head turned smoothly. Renee shivered slightly as those golden eyes locked on hers. "There are those among our own people that would deny history. They would go to any lengths to change the truth. Many humans also, for it goes against everything they believe to be true. They are blinded by their fear, and perhaps rightly so." She smiled for a moment. "Even our esteemed Headmaster, who seeks to know the workings of the world, has never taken the time to see ' The Beginning. It may be that there is something within that he too fears to know'".

The girl spread her hands helplessly. "But...why? I mean, he's friendly to the Faunas' that come to Beacon and all, isn't he? "

Athene's hand dipped into her belt, bringing out a thin metal card. "Friend?" Her stern face showed the ghost of a smile. "Perhaps. But ask yourself this, girl. How many of our kind are close to him? How many of your instructors are not Human?" The card was inserted into the slot in the door. "Ozpin was born shortly after the last war. He tries very hard to overcome the prejudices that he learned as a child. I don't think he is a man who would look down upon us as lesser creatures, but he is a product of his time. I hope that someday he will find the courage to descend to my world and learn even more than he thought possible. Thus is wisdom born."

Muffled thumps came through the wall. Grasping the bar, the Archivist pulled against the immense weight, slowly opening it until it was wide enough to pass through. Satisfied, she stepped aside and faced the younger faunas.

"The door is open to you, now you must decide if you wish to follow the path to its end."

Renee eyed the opening warily, swallowing against a suddenly tight throat. "This isn't exactly what I was expecting. " she muttered.

Athene eyes softened a bit. "Do not fear, young one. At best, you will gain wisdom. Knowledge of how this world we live in came to be as it is. Perhaps even find the answer you seek. At worst, you may learn something you do not like, and consider this all a waste of time. You may yet walk away from the task and return to the surface without changing anything about yourself. The path of your future branches here, go forward or go back. Once the choice is made, however, there will be no changing it. Going back means never returning here, going forward means that you may not turn aside until it is done."

Renee plucked her lower lip nervously, "Ummm. By 'not turn aside', do you mean no meal and bathroom breaks? "

The Archivist snorted laughter before turning serious again."No child. Of course there must be times for the body to refresh itself. It means that you will not give up halfway through. That you will finish what you have started. This will take more than one day, and you must contemplate what you have learned from time to time. None have finished the work in one sitting since it was written. Now..." She spread her hands, one indicating the doorway, the other the hall behind. "Make your choice!"

Renee hesitated, staring at the waiting portal for a moment. There's something really weird about this, she decided. Was is her imagination, or did something seem to be tugging her towards the door? It didn't feel threatening, more like a small child's insistent hand urging her forward. Unconsciously, she took a step.

The room that lay beyond was much larger than the previous one. Shelves holding all manner of boxes formed aisles that stretched into the gloom. In the center was a wooden table and bench, the whole bathed in a single dim reading lamp emitting just enough light for faunas night vision to see details clearly.

On the table was a thick book, bound in leather dyed a red so deep that hovered on the edge of purple. Brass gleamed about the edges of the binding. The title was picked out in gold leaf.

'The Beginning'

Renee's exploring hand was caught before it could make contact with the leather. Athene laid a pair of thin cotton gloves in her palm.

"You must always wear these when touching it." she told the girl.

Renee began fitting the gloves over her hands without taking her eyes off the book. "Why?"

Athene's lips curled into a crooked smile. "Tell me Miss Delacourt, how old do you think it is? Touch it now and judge for yourself."

A gloved hand gently stroked the oiled leather before lifting it to reveal the first page. A red Dust crystal had been painted in such lifelike detail that she swore she could lift it off the paper. "It's so new! It can't be more than fifty years, I think," she breathed.

"The best guesses of the last three Archivists, including myself, is two thousand!"

Renee was dumbfounded. "That can't be right! Look! " Gently lifting the first page, shebent it slightly. "If it was that old, this would crumble to pieces." The page flattened as her fingers released it.

Athene lowered herself to the bench and looked earnestly at the girl. "The book is imbued with a spell that defies time. Even Glynda Goodwitch, a woman who has devoted her whole life to the study of magic, cannot tell how it was done. But all of the records concerning it say that it was written here, in Vale, long before even the kingdom came into being. It has never left this valley in all that time. We cannot say who wrote it or how it was preserved, but here it sits. One of the oldest books in the world, and all we know for certain is that it was written by someone who knew the ancient language of the Faunas. He, or She, wrote it in a town founded by Humans who, so far as we can tell, only knew the common speech of their kind. The author had to have witnessed at least some of the history written herein. There are too many details that don't exist in other records for it to have been done second hand. Recent archeology supports this conclusion." She rose from the bench and gestured for the girl to seat herself. "Luckily for you, our Faunas language has always been taught to our young in addition to the common tongue spoken in all the kingdoms, and it has not changed much since those days. But if you have trouble with some of the words you need only ask me for help." Rising gracefully, she gestured to the bench.

Renee sat down and pulled the tome closer. "Then I guess I better get started!"

* * *

Athene left the girl to herself, silently striding between the shelves to her own desk against the far wall. Something about today had been bothering her, a memory about something she'd read recently. Opening the cupboard above it, she extracted a thin book and seated herself. Small lights built into the tall backrest illuminated the faded letters on worn leather of the cover.

'Prophecies of a Madman'

The first page held only the short inscription; 'Being the words of one Oswald, claiming to have come from Mistralia, who purported to know the truth of the future. These portents he related to the Author in the gaol of our most merciful King of Vale. Laid down upon these pages as he spake them whilst we languished amid cold stone ere the King's judgment as to our fates.'

A fair number of the faculty thought their Archivist was 'Mad', so Athene was willing to give this fellow the benefit of the doubt. She carefully flipped through the dry pages, scanning each in search of one particular prophecy.

She almost missed it, the two lines finally registering just as the page was lifted for turning.

'Beneath a great spire, in the fullness of time shall a Mountain meet the beginning of the Second Age, when Men and Faunas did unite against the darkness with wondrous blades of fire and storm!'

It didn't make any sense unless you had the other pieces of the puzzle.

Carefully setting the volume on the desk, she reached for the folder she'd retrieved earlier in the day. She smirked to herself as she read the first page of the student biography.

Omniscience was easier when you held all the cards.

Her finger traced through the information she'd already read, stopping on the line had been ignored in her original perusal.

'Nickname: The Mountain. Given for her Semblance, which displays the outline of a peak. Virtually immovable when activated.'

Oh My!

Her eyes darted back to the book lying innocently before her.

Madness?…or something else?

Setting the folder aside, she lifted the book again to continue reading.

If this particular prophecy was true, then what else might lie between the pages of this forgotten tome?

Dry paper crackled as she searched for any other familiar references. Perhaps one about a certain lonely Archivist?

* * *

A/N:

This one has been waiting on the hard drive for a while. I hope you like it.

Vindictious


	2. Chapter 2

Steel and Dust

Before the first foundation was poured at what would become Beacon Academy, before the first stone of the City of Vale was laid, even before the Kingdom of Vale had a monarch... there was a large village at the base of the mountain, known to weary travelers as 'The Village in the Vale'. At the back of the village near the defensive wall stood a large work shed, its roof pierced by a chimney. In the shed was a man with a problem...

Chapter 2 – Fate

* * *

"Master Smith? There's a caravan coming into the village. Shall I go see if there is anything you could use?"

The middle aged man at the workbench waved a hand impatiently at his apprentice, "Yes, yes! Go!"

Drake sighed in exasperation as he inspected his latest experiment. Weeks had gone into the making, it was possibly the finest work he had ever done. Yet it was a failure.

Regretfully, he leaned it against the back corner of the smithy, out of casual sight. It would serve no purpose for others to question the strange design. He would disassemble it later, saving the wood for another, more useful tool and repurpose the steel into something else.

Stepping to the forge, he stirred the coals for a moment while mentally reviewing the steps he'd taken. Everything seemed to point to success, and yet…

Whirling to the anvil, he beat his fist on it in frustration, the slap of meat on iron a counterpoint to his words. "Why…will…it…not…work!?"

"It would probably work better if you used a hammer instead of your hand, old man!"

Drake glared at the figure in the doorway. "Lazar, you worthless layabout! I should use your head. As thick as it is, it would be better than any hammer!"

The tall young man framed in the doorway placed a hand over his heart, gray eyes twinkling with laughter above the blonde beard. "Master Smith! You wound me. And here I come as a guide for one who seeks a compassionate soul... and finds you instead," he responded in a hurt tone that turned sarcastic.

"I assume you started some weeks ago then, oh Master Hunter, and only just now found me!" Drake retorted. His smile matched the other. "So, who in the village needs a smith today that does not know where to find one?"

Lazar stepped to one side and gestured at the shorter figure behind him, a hooded cloak hiding the face and form. "This woman does. She came with the trade caravan, seeking our village smith. As I had already traded my furs and had no pressing matters, I offered my time to escort her to see you." He turned to the hooded figure and placed a hand over his heart. "And with that, Mistress, I will leave you two to become acquainted. I must prepare for tomorrow's hunt." Nodding to the Smith, he slipped past her.

Drake watched his young friend lope off across the road, heading towards the center of the village. Trade caravans were rare enough to attract everyone except him. Normally he sent his apprentice to barter the steel, bronze, and copper items he manufactured for anything of worth. The practice meant that he'd never actually talked to anyone from outside the village before. Turning back to the stranger he spread his hands in hesitant welcome, hoping not to embarrass himself.

"Greetings to you, Mistress. I am Drake, Smith of Village in the Vale. How may I be of service? "

"I have been looking for you for a long time, Drake the Smith." Gloved hands pushed the hood back, revealing a handsome woman of middle years, her eyes a startling yellow like the center of a daisy. Long reddish orange hair was braided into a rope, the length of it falling over the left shoulder and halfway down her chest. "I am Terseus, of Mictsthrall. For a year now, I have traveled the length of this land to find the maker of the steel that will not break." Noticing the direction of his stare, she twitched her ears once and 'harrumphed' to get his attention. "My face is down here!" she said in a stern tone.

For a moment the words didn't register, as he could not look away from the triangular orange and gray ears on top of her head. Once the reality of them sank in, he blinked in surprise and lowered his gaze. "I apologize if I have offended you," he stammered."I have never met one of your people before. I have only heard stories told over ale in the evening."

She smiled in response to the polite apology. "At least you didn't run away or curse me, as others have done in the past."

Letting his hands drop, Drake drew a deep breath. "I cannot apologize for the actions of others, only for my own. Please excuse me, I meant no offense."

She held out a hand to him. "No offense is taken. Perhaps it is merely fate that you meet one of us this day. "

The strength of her grip surprised him. 'She is more than she seems ', he thought as they shook hands. "You said you've been seeking me? Why? Surely your own people have smiths, do they not? "

Her lips thinned in a grimace. "We do. But the weapons they make only shatter into splinters when used against the Dark Ones. There are two, a spear and an axe that came to us by way of a trade caravan, that have not broken. These harm, but will not kill the monsters. The Human who sold them to us claimed that they were made by the Smith of the Village in the Vale and that they were the finest in the world. He called himself 'Osman', and though he spoke our language poorly, his words proved true! Only your weapons will remain unbroken, even though our protectors die in the attempt!

Drake nodded, feeling a small surge of pride at the quality of his own work compared to others. "It is the same with us. My steel is good! But not good enough to kill the Shadow Beasts!" He bit his lip as he looked towards the village where his young friend had gone. "It was not good enough to save Lazar's father, though he fought to slow the pack long enough for the rest of the hunters to escape. Someday I hope to avenge my friend." Facing the faunas, he gestured towards the house next to the smithy.

"Forgive me once more. I forget my manners occasionally." He announced with a rueful smile. "Please, may I offer you refreshment? And perhaps you will tell me of your journey."

* * *

Terseus glanced around the neat room, noting the simple yet fine furnishings. It was clean and well appointed, yet lacked any of the little things that brightened a room. No fresh cut flowers graced the table, no artwork adorned the walls. The curtains on the windows were simple sheets of undyed linen, neatly tacked in place at the top and held open by simple leather thongs. "Are you married by chance?" she asked, then groaned silently as she realized how the question could be interpreted.

Drake gestured at the table with its four sturdy chairs. "I was. She died in childbirth many years ago. Since then, I have been alone. My apprentice still lives with his parents." A ghost of a smile came and went. "At least I don't have to feed him."

Taking one of the seats, she marveled that a man could keep such an orderly house without a woman's influence. Her youngest brother certainly couldn't! She carefully took the finely made ceramic cup he offered, the scent promising something better than the sour beer she'd had at other human villages. Something sweet had been fermented to produce the delicate aroma.

Taking her hesitation as possibly a bad sign, he held out his own cup. "It is called 'Mead', a wine made from honey. I hope it meets with your approval." He took a sip in demonstration.

Much lighter than the wines at home, she decided after tasting it. She considered asking about how it was made, but set the question aside in favor of having another cup. "As I said, I have traveled for a full turning of the seasons to meet you. I never realized how large our world is, until now." Setting the drink down, she leaned back and let the warmth seep through her. "Tell me, Master Smith. What is the longest distance you have ever walked?"

He scratched his beard for a moment. "Two days to reach the sea to collect sand," he finally answered. Seeing the question in her eyes, he quickly continued. "It is something that I need occasionally for the forge. There are deposits closer, but the white beach sand works best."

She nodded without bothering to inquire into what was obviously something he didn't want to explain. "It took me three months of daily lessons with Osman to become partially fluent in your language. Feeling this would be enough, I began walking to the sunset. Another month had passed before I reached the sea, then a day of sailing to reach the opposite shore. I have traveled with three different caravans to find you, using any Human along the way to improve my speech. I have spoken to dozens of Smiths, Human and Faunas alike, in as many villages and none can do what you have accomplished. Only you can make a metal that will not break upon the armor of the fell ones!"

Drake nodded solemnly. "My old master knew part of the secret. I discovered the rest on my own and have told no one else. I must tell my apprentice soon, else it may be lost should something happen to me." He leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. "Yet you haven't told me why. The trip was long and no doubt dangerous. Why come to me? "

She nodded in return, taking a moment to marshal her thoughts. "Dangerous indeed! This last caravan formed three months ago in a Faunas village, with forty guards to protect it. There are twenty-five left now. Ten died defending us from the attacks of the Dark Ones, as we ran to escape. Five from attacks by Humans, those who hate us because we are not like them." She took another sip to loosen her suddenly tight throat. "I do not understand why they did it. Why attack us when we had done them no harm?" The cup was set down with more force than was strictly necessary. "We are no different than you! Our lives are no different. We farm and fish as Humans do, we love our children as much as you. Tell me Drake, why did those five have to die? "

He looked down into his cup, gently swirling the contents. "I'm sorry Mistress Terseus, I don't know the answer to that." Looking up, he gazed into her troubled eyes. "But I can tell you that there are old men in this village that will not use my steel because it is different from my master's. They do not like change. Some people fear what is different, without reason. Perhaps that is why your own Smiths have not found the secret of the steel that does not break. Perhaps they, too, fear the unfamiliar. "

The cup was emptied in a single gulp. "I know little of the world outside of the village wall. I have never spoken to one of your people before. Ask me about metal, or whether the fire is hot enough to forge a tool. These are questions I can answer. Why people I have never met do bad things? I'm not a traveler like you, Terseus. I'm just a simple Smith. I don't know how to answer that."

She waved a hand in negation. "It's alright. I'm sorry if it bothered you, but even my own Master used to scowl at me for asking these types of questions." A smile played across her face for a moment. "A good man, and very knowledgeable, but even he does not have the answers I seek."

At the smith's offer, she lifted her cup to be refilled. "Tell me, Master Drake. Have you ever seen the crystals that my people call 'Dust'?" Setting her cup down again, she reached into a pouch at her belt and produced a blue crystal the size of his thumb, setting it gently on the table between them.

Drake stiffened slightly as he stared at the glistening stone. Setting his own cup aside, he softly prodded it. "I have, though mostly through trading. One graybeard that showed up on my doorstep with a bag of them, hinting that they were somehow different from all other stones. I didn't know what to call it," he admitted.

She picked it up and balanced it in her palm of her right hand. "My Master told me they contain power, but would never say what kind, or how to use it." She grinned at him, "Probably because he knew I would do something insane, like wander halfway around the world to put it to good use!"

He took another sip, wondering if the wine was perhaps too strong for her. "What kind of use?" he asked cautiously.

Her eyes hardened as she looked down. "Revenge for the death of my husband!" Her fingers closed tightly around the crystal, knuckles turning white with strain. "Tell me, Master Smith. If I could discover the secret of that power, could you make a weapon capable of striking down the Dark Ones with it?" she asked in a harsh tone.

She wondered if she'd said something wrong when the smile left his face. Rising from his chair, he towered over her. One hand waved angrily at the door.

"Come with me!" he commanded.

* * *

Terseus stood by the anvil, waiting for him to emerge from the gloom at the far wall. When he returned, he was carrying a spear of a sort that she had never seen before. Seven feet of polished hardwood was topped by a blade as long as her forearm. When he tilted it down, she saw the elongated hole at the base of the blade where a red crystal as big as her thumb was held by bands of steel. The polished metal reflected the finger she ran down its length. "It is both beautiful and frightening. I have never seen one like it before. "

"My finest work…and my latest failure!" He scowled at the crystal. "I've collected many of these over the years after hearing the rumors that they were different from all other gems, hoping they would prove the answer. You say they have power, yet I have not found any way to release it. I might as well have used a common rock! "

Her left hand covered his, curling around the wood. "No, not a failure! Only a step along the way to discovering the secret. There is a way. I'm sure of it. My own Master used them, but would never explain how! There is something within this Dust, a power we can use. We need only continue to test the possibilities."

His lips curled in a grimace of distaste. "I have tried all the elements, earth and air, fire and water. Only fire did anything, and that was a disaster! I have used every liquid I could lay my hands on, from seawater to the urine of a virgin. The purified metals, and all the combinations that I know how to make. Fur and feathers, tanned leathers and raw skins. I have even tried prayer and offerings to the gods. Nothing works!" His hands tightened on the wood, as if to squeeze the secret out. "What else is there?"

She pinched her lip for a moment, considering what he'd said. "Perhaps...there may be some trait that you lack?" Turning away and laying a hand on the blade above the crystal, she looked over her shoulder at him. "I want to try something. Just hold still for a moment." Closing her eyes, she drew a deep breath.

Drake nearly dropped the spear when a light blue glow suddenly surrounded her, the color seeping into the metal where her hand touched it. A spark of light appeared in the center of the crystal, growing like the flame of a newly lit candle until he could barely stand to look at it. It was accompanied by a whining buzz, akin to the sound of a mosquito, but rapidly growing till it hurt their ears.

Terseus quickly withdrew her hand from the vibrating metal, opening her eyes to see the Smith's terrified face as he fought to control the weapon. He desperately tossed it back into the far corner before throwing himself onto his guest in an attempt to shield her from whatever was catastrophe was about to happen. Closing his eyes against the glow filling the room, he threw one arm over his head.

The explosion rocked the entire smithy, momentarily lifting the coals up out of the forge and filling the room with smoke and coal dust. Bits of metal and wood ricocheted off tools and walls, one piece striking the anvil with a clang as his tools fell to the floor in a riot of sound.

Drake lay stunned for a moment, unable to get his bearings after the cataclysm. A movement beneath him brought back his senses as a muffled voice came from somewhere under his chest.

" ...ake!...an't..eathe! "

Scrambling to his knees, he lifted the gasping faunas up. Rising unsteadily to his feet, he carried her out the door. Standing for a moment in the sunlight, they both gulped huge breaths of clean air. Gently he sat her up against the nearest wall before collapsing next to her and closing his eyes.

"Good grief, Master! What did you do?" a voice asked.

Opening his eyes hurt a bit. Blinking to remove the last of the coal dust, he looked up at the face of the young man standing in front of him, hands on hips. A younger girl peeked around him, wide eyed.

Drake waved a hand towards the smithy. "Wieland. Check inside, make sure there is no fire. Hennah, be a good girl and fetch us some water please. "

The girl nodded and raced into the house as Wieland stepped into the door of the smithy. The sound of water sloshing against the wall accompanied by the hiss of steam was punctuated by his loud comments. "Ten years! Ten years of training, and now you try to burn the place down before I can prove my mastery! "

Drake chuckled weakly at the sarcasm in his apprentice's voice. If the boy only knew how close he'd come to not having a master to prove anything to...!

"Here!" Small hands thrust a wooden cup in front of him. "Who's she? Why does she have kitty ears on her head?" a piping voice demanded.

Taking the cup, he sipped once before passing it to the woman next to him. "Thank you, Hennah. This is Terseus, a new friend from far away." He shook an admonishing finger at the girl. "So, remember your manners and treat her like anyone else in the village!"

Hennah scowled as she looked down at her feet. "I was only asking!" She protested.

The smith smiled at the girl's pout. "I know. And it's a fair question. She is one of the Faunas folk, only different from us in form, not in spirit," he explained gently.

Terseus' smile was hidden by the cup. If only all humans would understand as easily as this man, there would be no harm done to either people. Lowering the cup, she leaned forward and looked into the child's green eyes. "Thank you for the water, Hennah." Seeing the direction of the girl's gaze, she waved a hand. "Come closer and you may touch them." Bowing her head slightly, she waited to see what the girl would do.

Fingertips brushed against the fur, gently stroking them. "They're so soft! Do all your people have ears like this? Momma doesn't let me go see the caravans, so I never met a Faunas before." A twitch of the ears brought a giggle as they batted against the palms.

She looked up into the girl's wide eyes. "No, not all. Some have horns, others antlers. My master has tusks like a boar. Yet they are all people, like you and your mother." She was pleased to see the girl nod in agreement. "As Master Drake says, different only in form."

"Where did you come from? Is your house like mine? Do you have any children? Do they have kitty ears? Can we play together?" Terseus blinked a few times, nonplussed for a moment at the rapid litany of questions coming from the girl.

"Hennah!" Drake's voice cut off the flow. "What did I say about minding your manners?"

The girl scowled for a moment before sketching a curtsy to the woman. "I'm sorry, Mistress, if I offended you."

The woman set the cup down and clasped the girl's hands in her own. "I take no offense, but perhaps now is not the time for so many questions." She gently shook the hands as Hennah's face fell. "I will be here for some time, so there will be answers for you." A small frown crossed her face for a moment. "If I can find someplace to stay!"

Hennah bounced on her toes. "Us! You can stay with us! My brother moved into the hunter's longhouse, so we have an extra bed. Please? "

Terseus couldn't help but grin from the youngster's excitement. "We'll see. I'd have to talk to your parents first."

The girl pulled her hands free and whirled away. "I'll ask Momma!" she shouted over her shoulder as she sped down the path.

Terseus leaned back against the wall with a smile. "I wish I had that much energy!"

"And I wish to understand what just happened, and why."

The faunas turned her head and looked into the troubled eyes of the Smith. "What do you mean?"

Drake seemed to shrink back a little under her regard. "Your hands! They glowed with a blue light and the crystal came to life! How did you do that? "

Terseus' eyes turned towards her hands clasped in her lap. "My hands? Glowed blue...?!" Her eyes widened. "Could it be that simple?" she gasped. "Could Aura...?" Her head dropped onto her knees as hot tears fell from her eyes. " Oh, Juniper! Had I known, I could have avenged you seven times over! "

Drake decided after a moment that further questions were best left till the woman had finished with her tears and recovered her composure. Settling himself back against the wall, he considered what had happened and what she had said. Glowing hands and crystals, exploding weapons, and new words had pretty well drained him for the moment. Whatever ' Aura' and ' Juniper ' were, the answers could wait until he'd rested a bit more. He closed his eyes and listened to the angry muttering of his apprentice coming from the forge. His world was changing too fast at the moment and he needed time for thought.

* * *

Renee rested her chin on her fist and gazed at the bookshelves without seeing them, thoughts whirling for a time.

Her own weapon seemed so simple to make, yet in the distant past two people had been the first to do it in a time when Dust was just another crystal and metalworking was in its infancy. There had been no machinery to form the blade. Even the alloys hadn't been discovered yet! Everything required was done by hand, by people who spent half their lives learning how to create something from raw materials dug up from the soil and rock around them.

Wow!

One of her instructors had told her 'To make a weapon, you need to know how to make the tools to make the tools to create the blade! It is said that the first Smith was created when the God of Light gave him tongs to hold the hot metal'.

Somehow that didn't seem like such a fanciful idea anymore.

Her scroll chimed, reminding her that she'd promised to meet the team for dinner. Getting up from the desk, she stripped off the gloves. Laying them between the pages as a bookmark seemed sensible, lest she lose her place in the thick volume. That done she headed toward the door, leaving the small reading light on as a barrier against the darkness.

* * *

A/N:

(Not dead yet! Just took a break from writing to deal with the pressures of daily life.)

And so it begins.

Look around you and ask yourself if you could make any of the things you use in your daily life. How much of the process do we even understand? Everything metal we produce now owes its existence to someone who started with three simple things: a rock, two green sticks tied with a strip of bark, and fire.

One of them is not so simple. Can you make fire without electricity or matches? It can be done (I know from experience) but it's a long, laborious process. Even a flint and steel are not as easy as the movies make it look if you don't know the trick to it.

The rock becomes a hammer, the fire melts ore, and two green sticks tied together become tongs. And thus the art of the Smith was born thousands of years ago.

In those days it took a week of labor by a single person to find enough ore for a simple knife for a villager's kitchen. Three days to prepare it for melting, grinding the ore by hand for copper and drying iron ore in a fire. Three more to build a kiln capable of holding the heat necessary to separate it from the rest of the stone. Another week of work to create the charcoal to fuel it.

All of this to produce just a little iron.

Steel? Well that's another matter entirely and there's a not so simple trick that had to be learned to produce really good steel.

It was all very labor intensive, and yet people did it.

Today we do it in less than one day with huge machines. We produce it by the ton, and some of that steel is on its way to the stars. It took thousands of years to get to this point.

And on Remnant this was in the Second Age, after the God of Dark had destroyed the world of Men.

Remnant is older than you think.

Keep writing!

Vindictious

(If you are wondering where this story came from, reference the last part of Chapter 27, Team HART)


	3. Chapter 3

Steel and Dust

Chapter 3

Interlude 1- School daze

* * *

Renee leaned against the wall in the sparring room, watching Tan defend himself against Akiko's spinning staff as Hart refereed the match. The Human girl might be short in stature, but the power and speed behind those strikes more than made up for her lack of height. Renee's partner was hard pressed to get close enough to deliver any blows in return.

The Faunas stifled a laugh as Tan leapt forward, striking at the girl's head, only to find her counter-strike sweeping his feet out from beneath him. A downward blow as he revolved in the air laid him on his back, Gunfa pointed towards the ceiling. The bout ended with the tip of her staff pressed up against his nose, their team leader calling the point in Akiko's favor. Renee privately thought that the last part was a waste of breath, but Hart never let a little thing like that stop her from following the formalities. Letting his head drop to the floor, Tan meekly raised empty hands in surrender. "You win! You choose the restraunt for Saturday's dinner! "

Renee shook her head at the pair as he sat up. "You know, there are better ways of making these decisions than beating on each other with sticks!"

Akiko glared at the larger girl as she reached back to adjust the ties that held her long hair in place.

"Call my staff a 'stick' again and you will be the one beaten!" she warned. "Besides," she grinned and held a hand out to help her teammate up, "this is more fun!"

Tan holstered his weapons before joining the conversation. "And, doing it without resorting to using Dust is good training for us. If we get into a really bad fight, we might not have time to reload."

Renee had to admit that he had a good point. Sunset was pretty energy intensive when used to its fullest capabilities. She'd bought the largest crystals on the market to power it and kept a couple of spares in a belt pouch, but it took a fair amount of time to change them. Of the four of them, Tan had it the easiest with his clips of ammunition taking only a few seconds to reload. Still, her sword was sharp enough to cut a Beowolf in half any time. The newer alloys saw to that.

Walking down the hallway to the armory, she pondered what she'd learned already. How good was Drake's steel compared to the newer ones? If the metal alone wasn't enough to kill the Grim, had Dust and Aura made the difference? What would have happened if Terseus hadn't made the journey to find him, would everyone in the world have died? There were so many unanswered questions!

Her thoughtful mood continued through to dinner. Seated at the table watching Hart and Akiko trading gossip on the opposite side. she wondered how history might have been different. Not so long ago there had been a war between Humans and Faunas. Now they could sit together eating a meal and tease each other, or talk about the day's events without a problem. Her lips thinned for a moment as she caught sight of Cardin Winchester and his team leaving the dining hall. There were still too many from both sides who couldn't, or wouldn't, accept the presence of the other despite what was happening around them.

"You all right there, partner?" Tan's fist tapping on her shoulder brought her back to the present.

"Yeah!" She turned and smiled at him. "Just thinking about some of the things I've learned in my research."

"Anything interesting yet?" he asked, cutting a piece of his cherry pie with a fork. The use of the utensil piqued her curiosity. "When did you stop using both hands to eat pie?" she asked.

His glance towards a girl sitting further down the table was a definite clue. "Somebody gave me a lecture on table manners last time we went out to eat!" he groused. "So now I use a fork, or risk another lecture... or worse!"

Renee gave up that line of questioning, knowing that it was a lost cause. Tan would do almost anything for his girlfriend short of jumping off a cliff, and that might depend on the cliff. "Have you ever wondered what life was like before we discovered Dust?" she asked.

He paused with the forkful halfway to his mouth, the morsel performing vertical circles as he thought about her question. "Nope! Not really. The school I went to didn't teach much history. Everything in the curriculum was geared toward preparing us to fight. They taught us all about the different Dust crystals and combinations, and some metallurgy. That was about it." He cocked an eye at her. "Why?"

Renee pushed a few vegetables around her plate. "I've found a history of Remnant from a time when humans didn't know what Aura was. Or anything about Dust either." She paused for a moment, considering what little she'd learned so far. "Faunas knew about Aura, but not how to use Dust. Also, the steel made back then was pretty crappy compared to what we have now. Everybody was just in survival mode, trying to keep out of the way of the Grim. People were even sacrificing themselves to give others time to get away."

Her partner finished chewing and waved the fork in her direction. "And that bothers you?"

The Faunas girl gently set her own utensils onto her plate and half turned towards him. "Yeah…sort of. I never thought about this stuff before." The sad look on her face made him reach over to rest his hand on hers as she continued. "There was this assumption by my instructors that things were always like they are now. Hunters had been around forever, y'know? The only reason that we haven't won yet was that there were never enough of us. It's kinda changed my perspective about becoming a Huntress a little." She turned to face him, "Are we just sacrificing ourselves in a war that won't end?" she asked quietly.

Tan's hand patted hers. "Sacrifice? Me? Nah! I plan to live forever! We're the heroes, haven't you heard?" He exclaimed, nodding towards the two girls across the table. "With this team, how can we lose?"

Renee smiled at the confidence in her friend's voice. Reaching across with her free hand, she ruffled his hair. "You're an idiot. You know that don't you?" His other hand swatted playfully at hers.

"Yeah, but I'm a loveable idiot," he admitted.

"That too!" She turned back to her plate, feeling her appetite returning.

Tan cut another piece of pie, his face sobering as he thought about her question. "Seriously though? I believe that this war-will-end! And when it does…we're gonna be the ones still standing!"

Renee looked up, seeing her team leader across the table watching her.

"Believe it!" Hart affirmed quietly with a nod.

* * *

Renee squinted down the length of the rapier blade as she tried to adjust her stance. "I feel like I'm going to break this thing!"

Hart gave up trying to hold Sunset in a guard position, both of her hands wrapped around the short grip having gone numb from the strain. Letting it swing down, she breathed a sigh of relief as the tip dug into the dirt of the field. Unclenching her right hand, she grabbed the upper crossguard in an attempt to keep it from falling over. Only someone with Renee's strength would be able to swing the blasted thing with one hand! "And I feel a hernia coming on! How do you separate the blades? I think I could manage with just one of them."

Tan's suggestion that they try each other's weapons as a precaution for the future was received with the same enthusiasm as telling a young child they needed another vaccination. The logic was sound, since the profession they were entering wasn't particularly safe. But the idea of lending someone your weapon...was pretty much the same as lending your toothbrush.

Except that your toothbrush was probably less lethal.

Renee pointed out the release stud just as an explosion from behind jerked her head around to see what had just happened. Tan was frozen in place, a smoking patch on the shoulder of his jacket, while a wide-eyed Akiko let the Gunfa she'd accidently fired drop from her hand. The scene took Renee's attention away from her team leader just long enough to miss the other Faunas making the mistake of releasing her grip with the left hand to press the stud. The bottom half of the huge sword separated easily, and with nothing to hold it in place, dropped directly onto the foot beneath. The crossguard landed on the tip of her toes with a solid ' thunk! '.

Renee snatched the other half as it began to fall from her friend's suddenly nerveless fingers, saving the unfortunate girl from repeating the damage. Hart sank to the ground with a small squeak of pain escaping her clenched teeth, the throbbing foot cradled in both hands.

Akiko's angry tirade drew Renee's attention away from the anguished face. The word "stupid" seemed to make up the majority of the smaller girl's vocabulary at the moment, and Tan wasdefinitely taking exception to it being applied to him. The weapon in his hand just began to lift off the grass when Renee's voice cut through the verbal abuse.

"TAN! Put...the staff...down!"

With great reluctance the weapon reversed course, finally grounding with a solid 'thump'. Akiko was just opened her mouth to continue when Renee abruptly cut her off.

"Aki ! Shut it!" The tone made the smaller girl's mouth close with a snap. Akiko turned to the bigger girl, obviously intending to renew the verbal barrage, only to be cut off once again.

Renee held up a warning finger. "Do not make me come over there, young lady!" She was happy enough with the scowl in return, just as long as Akiko kept silent.

Setting down the swords, Renee lay on the grass and covered her eyes with one arm. "If we survive this, we'll have a great future ahead of us...in comedy!" she told the sky.

Hart winced as pain shot up her arm. Smacking the other faunas while she was wearing armor hurt!

* * *

Renee rapped gently on the door of Team RWBY's room. With her partner and his girlfriend out to see a movie in town, there was a good chance that the person she needed to see would be here.

She winced at the heavy thump from inside the room, her ears flattening on her head at Yang's shouted 'I Got It!' echoed off the opposite wall.

Dust, girl! Do you have to tell the whole dorm?

The door swung open so fast that Renee's bangs lifted off her forehead for a moment. She braced herself, hoping that the blonde wasn't in the mood for one of her more enthusiastic greetings. Everyone who knew her swore that a Yang-hug could cause spinal damage in the unprepared.

"Hey Renee! What's up?"

The Faunas couldn't stop the grin that Yang's welcoming smile induced. "Hey yourself! Is Weiss here? I wanted to ask her something." She paused, taking in her friend's attire. Light running shoes, form hugging shorts, and a cropped t-shirt that bordered on indecent. "Let me guess. You're going jogging again, aren't you!"

Yang's smile widened at the semi-accusation. "Yup! Soon as my running partner gets here! Someone…" she gave a mock glare across the room, "decided that she had better things to do!"

The book rose higher, hiding Blake's face completely. "Not getting involved!" the girl murmured. Four fingers rose above the shield and waggled in the direction of the door, "Hi Renee."

"That's because she's smarter than you! You're lucky Goodwitch wasn't around the last time you dressed like that. I overheard some of the second year boys talking about it afterwards!" One canine ear flicked in reply to the greeting. "Now…Weiss?"

The blonde's smile slipped a little, "Yeah. Good luck there!" she muttered. "She's doing her usual weekend thing. Studying!" Her long hair shook in time with her head, "What's that gonna get you, I ask," she said in mock despair.

"A better grade than you!" came the icy reply from behind her. "Come on in, Renee. I'm not getting anything useful done until she's gone anyway!"

Renee slid past the grumbling blonde and quickly stepped across the room to stand by the desk. Opened notebooks were neatly lined up across the top with study guides in a second row below them. The Faunas was a bit surprised to see the heiress dressed in sweat pants and a sleeveless t-shirt, definitely not attire that she'd ever been seen in public wearing.

I guess Ruby must be rubbing off on her, she decided.

"Sorry to disturb you, but I've got a bit of a mystery and thought you might be the one that could help solve it."

The heiress leaned back, the pen in her hand tapping the armrest. "If I can help…? What is it?"

"What the meat in the cafeteria lasagna really is?" asked Yang from her bed.

"I'm not sure I want to know," Blake murmured as she turned another page.

The pen smacked against the desk, "Quiet, you two! This is serious!" Weiss snapped. Regaining her composure, she turned back to her visitor. "Sorry Renee. Please, go ahead with your question."

Never a dull moment in team RWBY, the Faunas thought wryly. "Uhm… have you ever heard of a village named 'Mictsthrall'? I found the name in an old book, but couldn't figure out where it is. None of the maps show it."

Weiss's face screwed up in concentration. "Nichts Thrall?"

The Faunas' hands waved in negation. "No. Micts…thrall. With an 'M'."

The other girl pursed her lips, her ponytail waving as she shook her head. "No. I don't think I've ever heard of it. Sorry."

"I think I've heard the name before somewhere."

Renee turned to see Blake lowering her book. The dark haired girl seemed lost in thought, her eyes unfocused as she searched her memory. "Where?"

"It was when I was a little girl. I seem to remember hearing it in a lullaby my mother sang once when I couldn't fall asleep." She gave Renee a rueful smile as she shrugged in defeat, "Sorry, that's all I can remember."

"Am I intruding?" a voice asked from the doorway.

Yang bounced out of her bed, landing with another solid 'thump'. "Hey Pyrrha! We're playing 'find the village'!

Renee closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. The people downstairs must be awfully tired of hearing that sound every time Yang got up!

"Ever hear of a place called 'Mictsthrall'?" the blonde asked.

The redhead brightened. "Certainly! It's one of the ancient names for the capital of Mistral!"

Renee bounded across the room, gripping Nikos by her upper arms and whirling her about. "Pyrrha! You're a lifesaver! Now I know where she came from!"

"Whoa! Stop! I'm getting dizzy." Pyrrha pulled against the hands clamped on her biceps without noticeable effect. "Where who came from?"

Delacourt released the struggling girl, bouncing on her toes in delight as her friend whirled across the room into Yang's arms. "Mistral! She walked all the way from Mistral!"

Weiss looked incredulously at the antics being displayed. "Walked? That's insane! Do you know how far that is? And who's this 'She' you keep talking about anyway?"

Blake lowered the book again, surrendering to the chaos. "Renee? Calm down! You're scaring the normal people," she said quietly.

The big girl settled back on her heels, cheeks aflame. "Oh! Sorry guys! It's just…you know…" She scratched the base of a furry ear in embarrassment, "Anyway, thanks Pyrrha! Didn't mean to throw you around like that."

The redhead made a valiant effort to look as if it had been nothing, but her eyes were slightly unfocused. "You're welcome!" she lilted, hoping the room would stop spinning soon. "But now I want to know who this mystery woman is too!"

"Anyone who walks all the way from Mistral to Vale has got to be a headcase!" Yang muttered, whirling a finger next to her ear.

"She was not!" Renee responded hotly, "Terseus was…well…looking for an answer." Pulling out the chair from what had to be Ruby's desk, judging by the filled wastebasket next to it, she reversed it and sat with her arms crossed on the backrest. "Look, let me explain. A very long time ago…"

Hands in her lap, Weiss looked at the Faunas girl. "Okay, let me see if I've got this right. This 'Terseus' left her home in Mictsthrall and walked across a continent to find a Human smith, which I must say had to be extremely dangerous…"

"Headcase!" interjected Yang, subsiding when the heiress glared at her.

"and discovered that Aura affects Dust. Is that right?" Weiss shook her head in disbelief. "I can't imagine what that journey must have been like."

"The last caravan had forty guards? And they lost ten to Grim? That's…horrible." Pyrrha looked ready to break into tears. "The cost in lives alone to keep the trade routes open! And this was before Hunters and Huntresses?"

Across the room, Blake's book lay forgotten on the bed. "She must have thought it was her only choice, that the trip was worth the danger." Her eyes rose to meet Renee's, "She had to have been incredibly determined to do it."

"And it had to be, what, at least a thousand years ago?" Pyrrha noted. Heads around the room nodded in agreement.

"Actually, it was longer." Renee told the girls. "Somewhere around two thousand!"

The four girls stared at her in astonishment.

"No shi…ungh!" Pyrrha's elbow cut off Yang's comment. "…kidding?" the blonde finished weakly, rubbing her ribs.

* * *

Hart's eyes snapped open as the sound of a drawer sliding open registered. The one not blocked by the pillow spied a shadowy figure looming next to her bed, bending over the desk in the predawn light filtering through the window curtain.

Intruder!

Reflexes honed by years of training brought her upright, fist cocked to deliver a knockout blow.

The punch was intercepted in a large hand as a voice whispered in the shocked Faunas' ear.

"Sorry Hart! Didn't mean to wake you. I was just looking for the notebook you borrowed on Friday,"

D'Ore froze, letting her hand unclench. "Renee? What the heck are you doing up at this ungodly hour?" she hissed.

"I'm going to catch an early breakfast and then go study some more," the brawler replied quietly.

"On a Sunday!?" Fingers pressed against her lips muffled the rest of the comment.

"Sshh!" The big girl turned to study the sleeping figures in the other beds. "Yes, on a Sunday. But I'll meet up with you all at lunch." She withdrew the fingers from the quivering lips, "If I can find that notebook, that is."

"It's still in my bag," Hart whispered, lowering her head back down to the waiting pillow. "I think you've been hanging around Weiss too much!"

Opening the bag in question, Renee retrieved the notebook and tucked it under her arm. "I'll take that as a compliment," she replied, turning to the door. "Sweet dreams!"

"Yeah, right!" Hart groused under her breath. The door clicked shut as she shifted the pillow around, trying to find the perfect spot to allow a return to dreamland. After what seemed an eternity, she found herself staring at the ceiling.

"Great! Now –I- can't sleep!" A fist rose under the sheet, "There will be revenge for this!" she muttered quietly.

* * *

A/N:

Ever find a book that you just can't put down? The one you carry everywhere (including the restroom)? The one you really, really want to know what the ending is…but turning to the last chapter would be cheating?

I've done that a couple of times.

Okay, more than a couple. But, in my own defense, I've been reading longer than some of you have been alive!.

Renee can't wait to get back into the story.

Neither can I.

Keep writing!

Vindictious


	4. Chapter 4

Steel and Dust

Chapter 4: Discovery

The prior day's events have left Drake deeply troubled. His unexpected visitor has shown him something that might be the answer he's sought for years, but at what price?

* * *

Renee was surprised to find the door to the Archives standing open when she arrived. She'd been fully prepared to hammer on the dense metal if necessary to attract Athene's attentions on a weekend.

The girl shrugged, accepting the fact. Perhaps there was some method the woman was using that let her know when anyone descended in the elevator. There were probably cameras in the car that showed her who was on their way. Carrying the thought a step further, she chuckled to herself.

That would certainly explain the Headmaster's sudden appearances around campus!

She paused, notebook hovering over the wooden surface of the table as a sheet of paper next to the book caught her eye. Lifting it revealed the carefully folded cotton gloves hidden beneath.

'Miss Delacourt, do not use these as bookmarks! I have provided something to mark your place in the future. Please use it!

Athene Glaukes.'

Oops! Renee grimaced as she slipped on the gloves. I'd best not make that kind of mistake again, she thought as she opened the tome.

The thick paper rectangle inserted to mark her page had a disgustingly cute kitten painted on it. She set it face down on the table so as not to be distracted by the imploring eyes.

Chuckling to herself, she settled onto the bench.

Giant Faunas…who likes kittens. Just goes to show, you never know what people are going to be like!

Her finger traced over the letters on the page until she came to the beginning of a new paragraph.

* * *

Drake awoke thinking someone was trying to saw the top of his head off. Hands pressed against his temples, he opened his eyes.

Why am I on the floor?

The hand dangling just over his nose was attached to an arm draped over the edge of his bed. Sliding out from under it, he sat up, only to gasp in pain as his head seemed to explode.

What happened to me!?

His new vantage point revealed the arm's owner, her Faunas ears drooping . A snore escaped the slack lips as he watched.

Hands clapped over his ears muted the sound to a buzz, but were definitely a detriment to standing. Weaving slightly, he headed for the door only to stop as soon as he reached the kitchen table, realization suddenly dawning.

What…have I done!?

He frantically patted himself down, relieved to find all of his clothes in place. This was a good thing, he decided. Clothes on meant nothing could have happened, right? Eyeing the two clay jugs on the table, he lifted one. Shaking it gently produced no sound. The second proved equally bereft of contents.

I haven't drunk that much since Marisa died.

Firmly setting them on the table, he choked back the emotions that followed the thought. He couldn't let himself slide back into that abyss! Constant work had kept him from thinking too much for the last twenty years. The smithy had kept him sane for all that time.

Work!

He cringed inwardly. The Cooper's knife needed straightening! There were farm implements he'd promised would be ready today! He paused in his rush out the door as his abused body reminded him of something much more important.

First…the outhouse!

* * *

Terseus was startled into wakefulness as the door of the house slammed shut.

"What's wrong, Juniper?" she groaned, pushing herself free of the bedding. Blinking blearily in the morning light, she froze as the room came into focus, dread coursing through her veins.

This is not my bedroom! Where am I!?

Her feet caught in the sheets as she scrambled off the unfamiliar mattress. Growling curses, she fought to free herself only to find her gorge rising from the exertion.

Finally free of the encumbering material, she reached frantically under the bed in hopes of finding one of the most common items in any house. Her hand touched porcelain just in time.

Spitting a few times to clear her mouth she looked around the room, chamber pot still clutched in her trembling hands until the smell threatened a repeat performance. Shoving it away, she stood up and took stock of herself. Fingers darted to the lacing that held her dress closed, then dipped to raise the skirt.

She sighed in relief, seeing nothing missing or out of place. Staggering slightly, she wove her way to the kitchen to find water for her dry mouth. Filling a handy cup from a bucket, she stepped to the front door to rinse the foul taste from her tongue.

Dabbing at the spots on her dress with a wet rag afterwards gave her time to think.

This is the Smith's house, she told herself. There are two empty bottles on the table and a fuzzy memory of drinking with him after the explosion to calm our nerves.

Returning to the bedroom, she lifted the sheets off the floor to replace them on the bed. A blanket she couldn't remember was shoved against the wall. Spreading the sheets out, she considered the narrowness of the mattress that was so unlike her own.

Oh! That's not going to hold two people. We couldn't have…!

Folding the blanket, she laid it across the foot of the bed. He must have had some little sense of decency remaining even after draining a bottle to have let her sleep in comfort while he chose the floor, she decided. How many, even among her own people, would have done that for her?

Spotting the chamber pot sitting near the corner, she sighed in resignation.

My mess…my responsibility, she thought glumly. Nose pinched shut, she bent to retrieve it.

* * *

Following the sound of ringing metal, he paused at the smithy door. A hiss of steam came from the gloomy interior, delivering with it a sense of relief.

Wieland, bless the boy, must have been doing the work his master had promised to the villagers. A rueful smile creased Drake's face.

I've got to teach him the secret soon, so he can make his masterpiece!

"Where is she!"

The shrill demand brought a renewed spike in his eardrums and made his hands rise to clutch at his temples. Spinning in place, he thrust himself against the doorpost and held out a hand to ward off his attacker.

"Hennah! Please! Not so loud?" he managed to croak.

"Momma wanted to meet her! But she never came! Why?!" the girl growled, hands on skinny hips. "What have you done with her?!"

"He hasn't done anything with me, girl! Would you please not shout like that! My head aches from the sound!"

Terseus raised the freshly rinsed pot higher as the child rushed to throw thin arms about her waist. "Hennah! Please! I'm alright so you don't have to carry on so!" Her stomach twinged as the girl's arms tightened.

"I was worried, Mistress! You didn't come, and Momma wouldn't let me go find you, and it got dark, and…!" She subsided as Terseus gently pulled one arm from its clutching grip.

"I was in no danger. Now, please stop. My head hurts enough already and you're making it worse!" A finger gently rubbed at the base of one furry ear. "I could really use some willow tea," she muttered.

Drake rubbed his gummy eyelids gently, "Hennah? Please ask your mother if she would help us out."

The girl shook a finger at the two adults, "Okay, but don't go anywhere!"

Drake started to shake his head as the girl darted off, but thought better of it. "As if I could!"

"Is her mother a healer?"

He looked up to the Faunas as she approached. "No, but she knows a great deal about herbal cures. The village has been without a healer for almost a year now, since Mistress Sharra decided to marry a man from another village to the north."

Terseus leaned wearily against the other post, "That's too bad. I'd hoped to compare knowledge with her."

Drake frowned, then brightened as the words sank in. "You're a healer?"

She smiled wanly at him, "Yes. One of six in Mictsthrall. I wasn't the best, but only because Argos has been doing it longer!" she explained quietly. "I'd already gained my Mastery, but decided there had to be more that could be learned." She looked to the east, her smile widening, "That's how I came to apprentice under Master Barbarus, the old scoundrel! He knows a great deal about almost everything under the sun."

The smith grunted with suppressed laughter. "You are a most surprising woman, Mistress Terseus!"

"You can do that? Learn more after a Mastery?"

Drake turned to the young man standing in the doorway, "Lad, if you have even the slightest bit of sense in you you'll never stop learning!" He patted Wieland on the arm, "And, thank you for dealing with things this morning."

His apprentice shrugged, "Well, somebody had to do it!" His smile faded as he looked deeper into his Master's reddened eyes. "Are you alright? I was going to come to the house after finishing this last piece."

Drake cast an anxious glance toward Terseus. "We…ahem…talked late into the night, lad, and… overslept."

Terseus' could feel the heat in her cheeks as the younger man blinked in surprise. "Master Drake was kind enough to offer me a place to sleep- separately- since we were still wearied from yesterday's accident."

Wieland frowned at the two of them for a moment before nodding. "Of course you were, Mistress. My master is most kindhearted when it comes to the welfare of others."

Drake pulled his student closer, lips almost touching the younger man's ear. "Lad, I would take it as a good thing on your part if nothing of this matter reaches other ears in the village!" he whispered.

"Master," Wieland muttered in return "I value my own position here too much for such a thing to happen!" He leaned away to peer into the gloom. "The scythe for Falnus should be hot enough for finishing work now." He announced in a louder voice, then reached out to support the older man as he staggered away from the door. "Why don't you two go back to the house. I'll send Hennah's mother along when she gets here."

"A very good idea, I think." Terseus responded, moving quickly to catch hold of Drake's other arm. "Thank you!"

"And you'll be of no use today as it stands!" Wieland muttered, watching the pair leaning against each other as they retraced their path. He turned back to the anvil, tossing the finished coopers knife onto the worktable to make space for the next piece. Lifting the glowing metal from the forge, he held his favorite hammer over it for a moment.

"Perhaps I should use a little less force to accommodate their delicate condition?"

He grinned as sparks flew from the overhand swing, the clang of metal on metal rebounding off the walls.

"Nah!"

* * *

Drake accepted the cup of water gratefully, drinking deeply before setting it down on the kitchen table. "Mistress Terseus, we need to speak about yesterday," he began as she seated herself.

She held out a hand to stop him. "Please, let's stop using titles. Protecting me from harm has already indebted me to you. Using 'Master' and 'Mistress' every time we speak becomes bothersome after a while! Just call me Terseus, or even Tersi as my friends back home do," she told him.

Drake nodded, a smile flitting across his lips. "Very well, Terseus. We'll speak as friends do from now on. But mind you, there are occasions when a title should be used as well! " he pointed out in a gentle rebuke.

"Of course. But this is not one of them." She folded her hands on the table top, "Now, you wanted to discuss yesterday?"

His face turned serious, chin dropping to his chest as he leaned back. He sat quietly for a moment, searching for the proper words. "Yes. I don't understand what happened. When you touched the spear…your hand… it glowed with a blue light! Then the crystal awoke as if it were a candle newly lit." He regarded her through his eyebrows. "Was this some kind of magic? You spoke of something called 'Aura' and 'Juniper'. The last I know as a tree of forest edge, the other I don't recognize." There was a hint of suspicion in his tone. "I don't feel comfortable not knowing of these things. Are they…dangerous?"

Terseus sighed wistfully. "Well, Juniper certainly wasn't." Reaching into the top of her blouse, she withdrew a bracelet on a slender chain. "He was our apothecary, what you would call an herbalist. The gentlest of men, kind and thoughtful…and my husband. He was killed by the Dark Ones while gathering supplies in the fields near our village three years ago." Her eyes glistened as she clasped the metal between her hands. He must have been so intent on his task…" she gulped back a sob, "he never noticed them coming."

On impulse, Drake leaned across the table and touched her hands gently. "I'm sorry that I distressed you, Terseus. That was not my intent."

"It's alright," she responded gently, replacing the bracelet and drying her eyes. "I've more or less come to terms with it. You couldn't know, and there was nothing either of us could have done to change things that have happened."

They flinched apart as the front door banged open, accompanied by a voice loud enough to make both of them wince.

"Brother! Where are you, you drink sodden lout!"

"Terseus…" he finally managed to say between clenched teeth, turning towards the woman looming in the archway behind him, "meet my sister, Hildegard. Our Herbalist, midwife, and occasionally the bane of my existence!"

* * *

Hildegard waited for the Faunas woman to set down the cup before touching the back of one hand to her forehead, keeping well clear of the furry ears.

"Well, you've taken no lasting harm from your carousing!" she announced. "In the future you should have no more than one cup of mead, or two of ale! You've obviously no capacity for it." She turned to regard her brother. "As for you!" A finger waved under his nose, "No more! This is the last time I'm going to help you. If you do this again, I'll leave you to deal with the consequences!"

"Thank you, Mistress Hildegard," Terseus offered over Drake's muttered "We weren't carousing!" She lifted the cup, swirling the dregs a bit. "May I ask how you make the tea less bitter than is usual?"

Hildegard smiled self-consciously, adjusting the tie holding her long brown hair in a tail. "Ach! I'm no 'Mistress' woman. Just someone who know a bit about plants." Her hands dropped, one coming to rest on Drake's shoulder. "You speak as someone with experience, though."

"She's a healer, Hildegard. A Master of the art come from another land called 'Mictsthrall'."

The Faunas could feel her cheeks warming as the other woman's eyes widened. "Aye? Is that so, then? Henna said you were a stranger, but I'd assumed you were one of the caravan folk." She nodded sharply, "A healer is what we've been needing this year past. I know too little of the art to help all the village, so you're most welcome among us Mistress!"

"Then may I beg a bed and a place at table with you? I can pay anything that's needed, along with helping any villager who needs a healer," Terseus offered.

Hildegard regarded her for a moment, then nodded acceptance. "Aye, that'll do. You can pay with helping about the house as well." Her nose wrinkled, "Then Hennah can shut up about 'kitty ears' and give me a bit of peace!" she muttered, watching the ears in question flick back and forth as the other woman smothered a laugh. "We'll expect you for dinner then, Mistress." Her hand gently squeezed the shoulder beneath it, earning a small smile from her brother. "And, after a bit of getting to know you better, I-may- teach you the making of a sweet willow tea."

Drake offered his own thanks and a hug about the waist before she left the two alone, the door closing softly behind her.

"I like your sister." Terseus gathered the cups and took them to the sink for cleaning. "She seems a most pragmatic woman."

"She is!" Drake agreed. "She took it upon herself to raise me after our mother died of a fever. At least until our father apprenticed me and I left the house. Some days I think she has an inner strength greater than any metal that I can make."

"She'd have to, what with raising Hennah and her incessant questions!"

The smith settled himself against the table, clasping his hands on the wood. "Which brings us back to our earlier talk." His lips thinned a bit, "I know of Juniper now. But what of Aura?"

"Aura is…oh, how to put it in a way that you'll understand!" Terseus bit her lip, trying to think of the best way to describe the intangible part of herself. "You're aware that each of us, Faunas and Human alike, holds within themselves a spirit?"

Drake considered the question for a moment. "You mean our souls?" he replied.

She nodded, "Yes, that's the word you would use, I think. The part of us that we consider immortal." Her hand splayed on her chest, "Normally it resides deep within the body, but it can also be released, or perhaps enlarged would be a better way to put it. When that happens, it shows itself in a sort of glowing second skin as you saw yesterday."

The smith shifted in his seat as he struggled to understand the concept. "So, what I saw was your soul?" he asked in an incredulous tone.

"Yes. And when it shows itself, we…the Faunas that is, call it 'Aura'. The soul exists in everyone, but only a few can have it released. Why, I can't say. But those who have done so find themselves with greater strength and better health than those who haven't. We take less damage from accidents or attacks, as well as healing faster. Some show other traits as well, such as my ability to heal others."

"Then why haven't Humans discovered this…this trick then!" he asked, seeming a bit disgruntled at the news.

She clasped her hands in front of his on the table near his, fingers twisting nervously. "Well…Master Barbarous thinks that perhaps Humans are not as…inquisitive as Faunas, so they've never considered it."

"Meaning he thinks we're not as smart!" he grumped in return.

She looked down sheepishly, "Well, he is a bit conceited when it comes to our differences. He's a well learned man, but I don't think he's met very many Humans." She raised her eyes to meet his, "And when you think about it, I've met more Humans in the last year than you have."

He snorted at her directness, "True words, Tersi! You know a great deal more about the world around us than either this Barbarous or I! For all any of us know, Aura may have been discovered by Humans somewhere else and none of us have heard the tale yet."

She shrugged in reply. "That's also possible. I came from the east, so maybe somewhere to the north or south of your village someone may know of it. Yet none of the caravan folk spoke of Human's having found it. Master Barbarous did say that Aura was spread lightly across the eastern lands after its discovery some hundred odd years earlier. None of the Faunas villages in the west that I passed through know of it."

"And its affect on Dust? Did any know of that?" Drake asked.

She shook her head and sighed. "None that I'm aware of. My Master would always stop what he was doing whenever I appeared, so I assume that he was keeping it a secret for some reason. I'm sure he knew! And he wouldn't tell me!" Her fist slammed onto the table in frustration.

"Possibly he didn't want his apprentice to blow herself up?" Drake asked in a dry tone.

Terseus' fist flattened on the wood, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "Most likely," she admitted. "But now we know that it does have an effect. It remains to find out just how to control it…to direct it against the Dark Ones!"

"Without killing ourselves in the process would be preferable!" he added with a serious tone. "But we've no idea how to do it yet, and what if Human's can't use this 'Aura'?"

She leaned back, a thoughtful look on her face. "Everyone, Human and Faunas alike, has a soul! I believe that there is no difference between us in that regard, so it must be possible. My Master always said that a theory is only useful if it's tested. Therefore…" her ears twitched, a grin forming on her lips as she watched the smith fidget in his chair, "We'll have to try to release a Human soul!"

Drake's eyes widened as the words registered. "Wait…what did you say!?" His hands rose, palms out. "You don't mean…!"

She nodded silently.

"I have a feeling you're enjoying this, aren't you!" he sighed as his hands flopped into his lap.

"I've always like experimenting with new things," she replied with a hint of laughter before turning serious again. "Besides, who else is better informed than you? Should we try it on Wieland? Lazar?" She shook her head, "Admit it. You're not one hazard a friend's fate!"

Drake's fist rose over the table, "I…" then lowered again, "give in! You're right. I can't take that chance with their lives." His lips formed a thin smile, "So, how do we go about it?"

She rose from the chair, eyes on the window. "We'll start tomorrow. I still have to find Hildegard's house and settle in. We should rest today and begin our research tomorrow after breakfast." She moved around the table to stand next to him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Drake, please trust in me. I won't do anything to jeopardize your well being. I need you in one piece if we're to find a way to kill the beasts."

He patted the hand gently. "I do. It's just that this is all new to me, but then so was learning to be a smith at one time."

"Now that we've found each other, we'll take the time necessary to do it right!" she replied, turning to the doorway. "I'll see you in the morning, Master Drake."

* * *

Renee blinked as her scroll chimed, reminding her of the need to meet her teammates for lunch.

Glancing at her notes, she absentmindedly set the painted marker between the pages and gently closed the cover. She was going to have to talk to some of her friends concerning their own experiences, and feelings about it, when they'd had their Aura's released. She smiled as the gloves came off, remembering her own nervousness at the ceremony. On impulse, she concentrated for a moment and let her own Aura show itself. As if drawn by a magnet, her right hand settled on the leather cover of the book.

There was a sudden tightness, as if someone had just wrapped her in a friendly hug. Warmth, love, a sense of encouragement; she was suddenly overwhelmed by the sheer power of the feelings coursing through her until she jerked the hand back. She stared at the leather for a moment before flexing the hand.

How?

The Archivist had said that the book was imbued with magic that defied time. Was this part of the spell? Had the author's feelings been bound to the pages as well?

She turned the thought over in her mind for a few moments as the sensation faded. Was it possible that this how the book was meant to be read? Had the unknown writer included a personal message for any reader who could use Aura?

Snatching up her notebook, she dashed towards the door.

I gotta talk to someone about this!

Her finger paused before touching the elevator call button as it hit her.

"Who?" she asked the empty hall.

* * *

A/N:

Umm…yeah.

Who, exactly, could she talk to about a 'magic book' that makes you feel things? Without the listener thinking she was a raving lunatic, that is!

Goodwitch? The woman who's first instinct is to assign extra homework?

Ozpin? The man who answers your question with another question?

Professor Port? (Egads! Don't even go there!)

Or maybe…three friends that she trusts with her life?

We'll see.

Keep writing!

Vindictious


End file.
